Mobile device and control method thereof

ABSTRACT

A mobile device includes a connector, an audio generator, a biological signal processor, a switch element, and a controller. The switch element has a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal of the switch element is coupled to the connector, and the second terminal of the switch element is selectively coupled to either the audio generator or the biological signal processor according to a control signal. The controller is coupled to the audio generator and the biological signal processor, and is configured to generate the control signal.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/394,287, filed on Sep. 14, 2016, the entirety of which isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The disclosure generally relates to a mobile device, and morespecifically, to a mobile device for receiving and processing abiological signal.

Description of the Related Art

As technology advances, mobile electronic devices are playing anincreasingly important role in people's lives. Some mobile electronicdevices, such as smart sports bracelets, can automatically collectbiological information from users and transmit it to other devices forfurther processing. However, the biological information may becomedistorted because of a bad transmission path. Accordingly, there is aneed to design a novel solution for solving the aforementioned problem.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a preferred embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a mobile deviceincluding a connector, an audio generator, a biological signalprocessor, a switch element, and a controller. The switch element has afirst terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal of the switchelement is coupled to the connector, and the second terminal of theswitch element is selectively coupled to either the audio generator orthe biological signal processor according to a control signal. Thecontroller is coupled to the audio generator and the biological signalprocessor, and is configured to generate the control signal.

In some embodiments, when an external device is coupled to theconnector, the switch element initially couples the connector to thebiological signal processor.

In some embodiments, the controller controls a switching operation ofthe switch element according to information from the external device.

In some embodiments, the external device is an external earphone or anexternal sensor.

In some embodiments, the external sensor is an external electrode.

In some embodiments, if the connector receives a first biological signalfrom the external device, the first biological signal is transmittedthrough the switch element to the biological signal processor, such thatthe biological signal processor processes the first biological signal.

In some embodiments, if the connector does not receive any biologicalsignal from the external device, the switch element changes itsswitching operation and couples the connector to the audio generator,instead of the biological signal processor.

In some embodiments, the mobile device further includes a housing and aplurality of sensors. The sensors are embedded in the housing, and arecoupled to the biological signal processor.

In some embodiments, the sensors are electrodes.

In some embodiments, if no external device is coupled to the connectoror if the connector does not receive any biological signal from theexternal device, the biological signal processor tries to receive andprocess a second biological signal from the sensors.

In another preferred embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a methodincluding the steps of: providing a mobile device, wherein the mobiledevice includes a connector, an audio generator, a biological signalprocessor, a switch element, and a controller, and wherein thecontroller is coupled to the audio generator and the biological signalprocessor; generating a control signal by the controller; and couplingthe connector to either the audio generator or the biological signalprocessor by the switch element according to the control signal.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: when an externaldevice is coupled to the connector, initially coupling the connector tothe biological signal processor by the switch element.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: controlling aswitching operation of the switch element by the controller according toinformation from the external device.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: if the connectorreceives a first biological signal from the external device,transmitting the first biological signal through the switch element tothe biological signal processor, and processing the first biologicalsignal by the biological signal processor.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: if the connector doesnot receive any biological signal from the external device, coupling theconnector to the audio generator, instead of the biological signalprocessor, by the switch element.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: if no external deviceis coupled to the connector or if the connector does not receive anybiological signal from the external device, trying to receive andprocess a second biological signal from the sensors by the biologicalsignal processor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequentdetailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a mobile device according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a mobile device coupled to an external sensoraccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an external electrode according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a mobile device coupled to an external earphoneaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a mobile device according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 6A is a top view of a mobile device according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of a mobile device according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an operation method for operating a mobiledevice according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a control method according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order to illustrate the purposes, features and advantages of theinvention, the embodiments and figures of the invention will bedescribed in detail as follows.

Certain terms are used throughout the description and following claimsto refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art willappreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component by different names.This document does not intend to distinguish between components thatdiffer in name but not function. In the following description and in theclaims, the terms “include” and “comprise” are used in an open-endedfashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “include, but notlimited to . . . ”. The term “substantially” means the value is withinan acceptable error range. One skilled in the art can solve thetechnical problem within a predetermined error range and achieve theproposed technical performance. Also, the term “couple” is intended tomean either an indirect or direct electrical connection. Accordingly, ifone device is coupled to another device, that connection may be througha direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electricalconnection via other devices and connections.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a mobile device 100 according to an embodiment ofthe invention. For example, the mobile device 100 may be a smartphone, atablet computer, or a notebook computer. As shown in FIG. 1, examples ofthe mobile device 100 include a connector 110, an audio generator 120, abiological signal processor 130, a switch element 140, and a controller150. The connector 110 may be selectively coupled to an external device170. For example, the connector 110 may be an earphone socket, but it isnot limited thereto. Alternatively, the connector 110 may be a USB(Universal Serial Bus) socket, a micro-USB socket, or a USB type-Csocket. The audio generator 120 is configured to generate and output anaudio signal. The biological signal processor 130 is configured toreceive and process a biological signal. The switch element 140 may bean SPDT (Single Port Double Throw) switch. The switch element 140 has afirst terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal of the switchelement 140 is coupled to the connector 110, and the second terminal ofthe switch element 140 is selectively coupled to either the audiogenerator 120 or the biological signal processor 130 according to acontrol signal SC. The controller 150 may be a control circuit, and itmay be integrated with the audio generator 120 so as to form a singlecontrol chip. The controller 150 is coupled to the audio generator 120and the biological signal processor 130, and is configured to generatethe control signal SC for controlling the switch element 140. Forexample, the controller 150 may include any custom-made or commerciallyavailable processor, a central processing unit (CPU) or an auxiliaryprocessor among several processors associated with the mobile device100, a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip),a macro-processor, one or more application-specific integrated circuits(ASICs), a plurality of suitably configured digital logic gates, andother well-known electrical configurations comprising discrete elementsboth individually and in various combinations to coordinate the overalloperation of the computing system.

In some embodiments, when the external device 170 is coupled to theconnector 110, the switch element 140 can initially couple the connector110 to the biological signal processor 130. Then, the controller 150 canmaintain or change the switching operation of the switch element 140according to information from the external device 170. For example, theaforementioned information may include the type of the external device170, or signals output from the external device 170. The followingembodiments describe the detailed operation of the mobile device 100. Itshould be noted these embodiments and figures are just exemplary, ratherthan the restricted limitations of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the mobile device 100 coupled to an externalsensor 180 according to an embodiment of the invention. In theembodiment of FIG. 2, the aforementioned external device 170 is anexternal sensor 180, and the external sensor 180 is coupled to theconnector 110 of the mobile device 100. The external sensor 180 maycollect a variety of biological information from a user, so as togenerate a first biological signal SB1. If the connector 110 receivesthe first biological signal SB1 from the external sensor 180, the switchelement 140 will maintain its initial switching operation (i.e., theswitch element 140 selects the biological signal processor 130), and thefirst biological signal SB1 will be transmitted through the switchelement 140 to the biological signal processor 130, such that thebiological signal processor 130 can process the first biological signalSB1. For example, the first biological signal SB1 may be a heartbeatsignal, and the biological signal processor 130 can process the firstbiological signal SB1 and then output an electrocardiogram signal. Theelectrocardiogram signal may be displayed on a display device (notshown), or may be analyzed further by an application program of themobile device 100. However, the invention is not limited to the above.In alternative embodiments, the first biological signal SB1 may be arespiratory signal, a brain wave signal, or blood pressure, and thebiological signal processor 130 can also process it and perform acorresponding operation.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an external electrode 380 according toan embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, theaforementioned external sensor 180 is an external electrode 380. Theexternal electrode 380 includes an earphone plug 310, one or moreconnection lines 320, and one or more sub-electrodes 330. The connectionlines 320 are configured to respectively couple the sub-electrodes 330to the earphone plug 310. For example, each of the sub-electrodes 330may be a wet electrode with gel. The sub-electrodes 330 may be put on ahuman body (e.g., the user's chest) and be used to retrieve biologicalinformation therefrom. The retrieved biological information from thesub-electrodes 330 may be converted into the first biological signalSB1, and the first biological signal SB1 may be transmitted through theconnector 110 and the switch element 140 to the biological signalprocessor 130. Since the external electrode 380 directly touches thehuman body and retrieves the biological information with littledistortion, it can significantly increase the accuracy and sensitivityof the biological signal measurement and process.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the mobile device 100 coupled to an externalearphone 190 according to an embodiment of the invention. In theembodiment of FIG. 4, the aforementioned external device 170 is anexternal earphone 190, and the external earphone 190 is coupled to theconnector 110 of the mobile device 100. In the situation, no biologicalsignal is transmitted to the connector 110. If the connector 110 doesnot receive any biological signal from the external earphone 190, theswitch element 140 will change its switching operation and couple theconnector 110 to the audio generator 120, instead of the biologicalsignal processor 130. Then, the audio generator 120 may output an audiosignal SA, and the audio signal SA may be transmitted through the switchelement 140 and the connector 110 to the external earphone 190.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a mobile device 500 according to an embodiment ofthe invention. FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 1. In the embodiment of FIG. 5,the mobile device 500 further includes at least two sensors 561 and 562,and a housing 570. The sensors 561 and 562 are embedded in the housing570. For example, the sensors 561 and 562 may be made of a conductivematerial, and the housing 570 may be made of a nonconductive material.The sensors 561 and 562 are coupled to the biological signal processor130. If no external device is coupled to the connector 110 or if theconnector 110 does not receive any biological signal from the externaldevice 170 (e.g., the external device 170 may be the external earphone190), the biological signal processor 130 will try to receive andprocess a second biological signal SB2 from the sensors 561 and 562.Such a design provides an alternative sensing path, by which the mobiledevice 500 can retrieve biological information quickly and easilywithout using any external sensor. In some embodiments, the biologicalsignal processor 130 has two input terminals, and it can selectivelyreceive the first biological signal SB1 from the external device 170, orthe second biological signal SB2 from the sensors 561 and 562. Inalternative embodiments, the biological signal processor 130 has oneinput terminal, and an auxiliary switch element (not shown) is added andused to selectively transmit either the first biological signal SB1 fromthe external device 170, or the second biological signal SB2 from thesensors 561 and 562, to the biological signal processor 130. Theauxiliary switch element may be controlled by the controller 150. Itshould be noted that the mobile device 500 may include three or moresensors in other embodiments although there are only two sensors 561 and562 displayed in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6A is a top view of a mobile device 600 according to an embodimentof the invention. FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the mobile device 600according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment of FIG.6A and FIG. 6B, the aforementioned sensors 561 and 562 are implementedwith four electrodes 661, 662, 663, and 664. For example, each of theelectrodes 661, 662, 663, and 664 may be a dry electrode without gel.The electrodes 661, 662, 663, and 664 may touch a portion of a humanbody (e.g., the user's fingers) and be used to retrieve biologicalinformation therefrom. The retrieved biological information from theelectrodes 661, 662, 663, and 664 may be converted into the secondbiological signal SB2, and the second biological signal SB2 may betransmitted to the biological signal processor 130.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an operation method for operating the mobiledevice 500 according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer toFIG. 5 and FIG. 7 together. To begin, in step S710, the controller 150checks whether the external device 190 is coupled to the connector 110.If not, in step S720, the biological signal processor 130 will try toreceive and process the second biological signal SB2 from the sensors561 and 562, and then the procedure will end. If so, in step S730, theswitch element 140 will initially couple the connector 110 to thebiological signal processor 130. In step S740, the controller 150 checkswhether the connector 110 receives the first biological signal SB1 fromthe external device 190. If so, in step S750, the biological signalprocessor 130 will process the first biological signal SB1, and then theprocedure will end. If not, in step S760, the switch element 140 willcouple the connector 110 to the audio generator 120, instead of thebiological signal processor 130. Next, the procedure may go back to stepS720. The biological signal processor 130 will try to receive andprocess the second biological signal SB2 from the sensors 561 and 562,and then the procedure will end. In other embodiments, the operationmethod of FIG. 7 can be applied to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6 withappropriate adjustments. For example, if the operation method of FIG. 7is applied to the mobile device 100 of FIG. 1 (the sensors 561 and 562are removed), only steps S730, S740, S750, and S760 may be performed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a control method according to an embodiment ofthe invention. To begin, in step S810, a mobile device is provided. Themobile device includes a connector, an audio generator, a biologicalsignal processor, a switch element, and a controller. The controller iscoupled to the audio generator and the biological signal processor. Instep S820, a control signal is generated by the controller. Finally, instep S830, the connector is coupled to either the audio generator or thebiological signal processor by the switch element according to thecontrol signal. It should be noted that these steps may not be performedin order, and every feature of the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 7 may beapplied to the control method of FIG. 8.

The invention proposes a mobile device and a control method thereof.Because the mobile device selectively uses an external sensor, it canquickly and precisely retrieve biological information from a user. Theexternal sensor can be coupled to a built-in connector of the mobiledevice, such as an earphone socket, so that no extra cost is required. Abiological signal from the external sensor may be further processed andanalyzed by a biological signal processor of the mobile device.Therefore, it becomes more convenient for the user to continuously andaccurately monitor his/her state of health using the proposed mobiledevice and control method.

Note that the above voltages, currents, resistances, inductances,capacitances and other element parameters are not limitations of theinvention. A designer can adjust these parameters according to differentrequirements. The mobile device and control method of the invention arenot limited to the configurations of FIGS. 1-8. The invention may merelyinclude any one or more features of any one or more embodiments of FIGS.1-8. In other words, not all of the features displayed in the figuresshould be implemented in the mobile device and control method of theinvention.

Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in theclaims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote anypriority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or thetemporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are usedmerely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain namefrom another element having the same name (but for use of the ordinalterm) to distinguish the claim elements.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofthe preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention isnot limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it isintended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (aswould be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope ofthe appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so asto encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile device, comprising: a connector; anaudio generator; a biological signal processor; a switch element, havinga first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the first terminal ofthe switch element is coupled to the connector, and the second terminalof the switch element is selectively coupled to either the audiogenerator or the biological signal processor according to a controlsignal; and a controller, coupled to the audio generator and thebiological signal processor, and generating the control signal.
 2. Themobile device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when an external device iscoupled to the connector, the switch element initially couples theconnector to the biological signal processor.
 3. The mobile device asclaimed in claim 2, wherein the controller controls a switchingoperation of the switch element according to information from theexternal device.
 4. The mobile device as claimed in claim 2, wherein theexternal device is an external earphone or an external sensor.
 5. Themobile device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the external sensor is anexternal electrode.
 6. The mobile device as claimed in claim 2, whereinif the connector receives a first biological signal from the externaldevice, the first biological signal is transmitted through the switchelement to the biological signal processor, such that the biologicalsignal processor processes the first biological signal.
 7. The mobiledevice as claimed in claim 2, wherein if the connector does not receiveany biological signal from the external device, the switch elementchanges its switching operation and couples the connector to the audiogenerator, instead of the biological signal processor.
 8. The mobiledevice as claimed in claim 2, further comprising: a housing; and aplurality of sensors, embedded in the housing, and coupled to thebiological signal processor.
 9. The mobile device as claimed in claim 8,wherein the sensors are electrodes.
 10. The mobile device as claimed inclaim 8, wherein if no external device is coupled to the connector or ifthe connector does not receive any biological signal from the externaldevice, the biological signal processor tries to receive and process asecond biological signal from the sensors.
 11. A method, comprising thesteps of: providing a mobile device, wherein the mobile device comprisesa connector, an audio generator, a biological signal processor, a switchelement, and a controller, and wherein the controller is coupled to theaudio generator and the biological signal processor; generating acontrol signal by the controller; and coupling the connector to eitherthe audio generator or the biological signal processor by the switchelement according to the control signal.
 12. The method as claimed inclaim 11, further comprising: when an external device is coupled to theconnector, initially coupling the connector to the biological signalprocessor by the switch element.
 13. The method as claimed in claim 12,further comprising: controlling a switching operation of the switchelement by the controller according to information from the externaldevice.
 14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the externaldevice is an external earphone or an external sensor.
 15. The method asclaimed in claim 14, wherein the external sensor is an externalelectrode.
 16. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising: ifthe connector receives a first biological signal from the externaldevice, transmitting the first biological signal through the switchelement to the biological signal processor, and processing the firstbiological signal by the biological signal processor.
 17. The method asclaimed in claim 12, further comprising: if the connector does notreceive any biological signal from the external device, coupling theconnector to the audio generator, instead of the biological signalprocessor, by the switch element.
 18. The method as claimed in claim 12,wherein the mobile device further comprises a housing and a plurality ofsensors, and wherein the sensors are embedded in the housing and arecoupled to the biological signal processor.
 19. The method as claimed inclaim 18, wherein the sensors are electrodes.
 20. The method as claimedin claim 18, further comprising: if no external device is coupled to theconnector or if the connector does not receive any biological signalfrom the external device, trying to receive and process a secondbiological signal from the sensors by the biological signal processor.